This month, we tackle that crazy little thing called fanon. When the creators of your favorite media leave you in the dark, the impulse to speculate and try to shed some light is only natural. What does this mean for the average geek media aficionado in the digital age? Head canon, fan theories, and works of fan fiction, art and more! Join the Rag-NERD-rok Crew as we discuss some of our thoughts on the matter, along with examples from fandoms we’ve participated in. Afterwards, we’ll scramble to come up with a sketch in Ed’s absence, and read a brand-new five star review!

This is it, folks. All of Rag-NERD-rok history has been leading to this moment, this episode. Get ready, for your ears are about to be assaulted by the sweet, dulcet tones of history in the making. After months of snide comments and off-hand Pony references, the RNR guys sit down and tackle the most important topic of out generation: Bronies. Are they a force for good or are they Satan’s emissaries? Find out as Ryan and Erik go up against Alex and Meyer, with Ed acting as moderator for the most calm heated discussion ever.

And speaking of Ponies, the RNR crew finally gets to lay something to rest. The man who has haunted them ever since Erik gave him an undeserved shout-out way back when, Twizzle, finally earns that shout-out. And we all pay the price.

The guys wrap up the episode with a blooper reel (think of this as our Season 3 clip-show episode). It’s a rare and intimate look into what goes on behind the scenes of Rag-NERD-rok (please don’t hate us after listening to it).

Here it is, folks: another THUNDERous interview with the Rag-NERD-rok Crew! Who is it? Alright, we won’t be CATty: it’s Larry Kenney, the voice behind Lion-O from the original ThunderCats cartoon (among many other things). We talk with him about his career both before and after ThunderCats, how voice acting works and more. Then, Erik regales us all with his adventures at last month’s BronyCon, while Meyer and Alex try not to hate too much. And last but certainly not least, we read all of the new emails we’ve received, as well as the five-star reviews that people have left us on iTunes (thanks for that!). So join us for an episode filled with famous actors, pony talk and you guys!

Every spring, the indigenous nerd population of Long Island flocks to the Suffolk County campus of Stony Brook University for I-Con, a geeky gathering that has very little to do with endocrinology. Here, some engage in rituals known as “panels,” each with its own topic, in which panelists and audience members sometimes compete fiercely for dominance. Some take part in a display of plumage known as “cosplay,” in which they dress as characters from a movie, video game or TV show that they enjoy, possibly in order to attract a mate. Rare and exotic creatures known as “guests” move silently among the con-goers, sometimes pausing gracefully to sign autographs or give interviews. Finally, there is the dealer floor, a social gathering place where merchants build elaborate nests with the shiniest implements they can find. Join the guys in The Rag-NERD-rok Crew for an exciting glimpse at nerds in their natural habitat: I-Con!

(Get to the part of the show notes where I drop this ridiculous conceit after the break!)

As anypony who knows me should know by this point (as should most listeners, given my tendency to mention it here and there), I’m a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. As such, I like to contribute to the fanbase, even though some of my friends (At least two of my RNR partners included) hate me for doing so. I just recently finished up a Pony Music Video (PMV) that I put a fair amount of work in, and I figured, “Hey, we’re a nerd culture podcast, and my obsession with this show is pretty nerdy!” That being said, check out my PMV of Green Day’s “Last of the American Girls,” titled “Last of the Equestrian Girls,” after the jump.